


Pack Light (This Is Your Life Now)

by catnip



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Minor Violence, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-12 19:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catnip/pseuds/catnip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's time to start building a pack and Scott is the first one Laura chooses. It won't be an easy adjustment for any of them, but maybe a werewolf road trip is just the thing to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pack Light (This Is Your Life Now)

**Author's Note:**

> Story idea inspired by the lovely Sara, and title inspired by the lovely Ming :)

The car made a choking noise as Laura turned the key but it didn't seem to phase her. A moment of fiddling with the AC settings and stereo dials passed before she turned, first looking at Scott and then at Derek.

“Ready boys?”

Scott nodded, but disagreement came from Derek. “Why am I sitting in the backseat again?”

“Because, dear brother, Scott has new Beta privileges so he gets to sit in front first. Don't worry, I'm sure Scott will be happy to switch with you later. Right Scott?”

Scott nodded again, smiling. “New...Beta privileges. Is that like an actual thing?”

 _'No'_ Derek grumbled again, but this time Laura didn't even acknowledge his annoyance. “It is in my pack.”

Scott wanted to ask more, he had so many questions. But he could sense Laura's impatients and energy, that she wanted to go, and she had said he would know everything in time. That was the point of this trip. So he smiled and sat back in his seat and Laura gunned the engine.

xxxxx

  


Three hours out and things had been nice. Laura played her music too loud, Derek brooded, and Scott tried not to ask too much or make too many comments. Scott had taken road trips before, with his mom and the man who he used to call dad. His mom had never liked the silence of a car with just the noise of asphalt underneath them. She talked and commented on the things they passed, and when Scott was younger she used to play car games with him. She must have rubbed off on him.

He thought about his mom, back at home. She had been happy to let him go on a roadtrip with friends. It was summer and she'd been trying to get him out of the house all month. Scott had wanted to tell her the truth, but Laura forbid it. Said in time they could cross that bridge.

Laura smacked her palms on the steering wheel, startling Scott out of his thoughts. “Ready for a break boys?”

“Where are we?” He looked at a green interstate sign as they passed it but didn't recognize any of the names.

“No clue! But I’m starving. There are a few fast food joints at this exist we can stop at.”

She switched lanes and took the next exit they came to, rattling off names of places to eat that had been advertized. Derek made no comment and Scott would eat anything so in the end she decided on a Wendys.

Scott had tried to pay for his own food once they were inside but Laura said it would be shameful for an Alpha to take money from her Beta. She ended her sentence with a wink that made Scott laugh and Derek roll his eyes, but Scott could see a smile being forced down at the corner of his mouth. They sat in a booth, Scott on one side and Laura and Derek next to each other.

“So....where are we going again, exactly?”

Laura shoved a few fries in her mouth and seemed to be in no rush to reply. Her eyes slid to Derek and if she nudged him with her knee under the table Scott didn't need to know. 

“Laura and I have been living in a different town for a few years now. We are going back there.”

“Mmhm.” Laura nodded as she wiped her fingers on a napkin. “We have to pack up our stuff, end our lease, all that kind of boring grown-up stuff.”

There was something like a growl from Derek suddenly, and Scott found himself unconsciously gripping his burger in his hands, tense. “You didn't mention that part Laura.”

Something passed between the two as they stared at each other. Scott didn't know if it was a sibling thing or a werewolf thing, he couldn't place what it was. But he could almost feel the silent argument going on between them. Derek was the first to look away, turn himself toward the window instead. Only then did Laura take her eyes off him and look back at Scott.

“It's been a long time since we were back in Beacon Hills. We went back just for a visit. Relive some old memories.” Her face was like a mask, giving nothing away. She'd only spoken this way a few times before. It didn't do much to help Scott feel more at ease, but he listened. “Something isn't right though. We can sense it. I'm worried there is trouble coming. That's why we need to go back, and why I sought you out. It's time to start building a pack.”

Scott started to speak. Ask what she meant by sought out. Derek snapped before he could, attention whipping back to Laura. “We don't _need_ a pack. I told you that before!”

“ _Don't_.” A few heads had started to turn their way. Laura's tone was low and tight and she gripped Derek's arm, leaning into him. “Don't do this here. Don't do it at all. I am your sister but I am also your Alpha, and I will not hesitate to remind you of that. You know as much.”

A few seconds clicked by with no one saying a word or even moving. Finally Laura let go of Derek's arm and, without a word, slid out of the booth. Derek followed but kept going. He walked straight out of the building.

Scott struggled to find his voice as Laura took a seat again, the tension of the moment still rolling through him. “Is uh. Is he alright?”

“He is. He will be.” Laura gave him a small smile as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “He should have expected as much when I turned you. I wouldn't leave my Beta alone. But it's been just the two of us for a long time now. And there has been...” she hesitated, only for a beat, “tell you what. Tonight when we stop at our hotel I'll tell you the story okay? And we can play twenty questions after if you want.”

“Okay. Sure.” Scott nodded, but he still felt off. Sick. Maybe Laura sensed it or maybe he was just that transparent, because she reached her hand out. Took his in hers. It wasn't like how she had gripped Derek. Her touch was firm and warm and he could feel something inside him relax. 

When they went out to the car Derek was sitting in the front seat. Scott slid into the back, and no one said a word as they got back on the road.

xxxxx

This time the music wasn't so loud and conversation was even more quiet. It was dark now as Laura turned down another exit.  


“We could probably make it home in another two or three hours, but we have a date don't we Scott?”

Laura gave him a grin. Derek seemed confused, but he didn't ask. They continued on in silence as they parked at a mostly abandoned Holiday Inn and rented a room, piling themselves and their few bags into it. It had two double beds and Scott wondered if he could get a pull-away to sleep on because otherwise this was going to get awkward.

He hovered in the corner, sitting his bag on the small table. Laura and Derek seemed to be talking about something that didn't need his input, so he finally sat himself down in a chair, trying not to look as awkward as he felt. To busy himself he got out his cell phone, sending his mom a text to let him know he was safe and off the road for the night.

There were a few texts from Stiles, most of which had him trying to stifle his laughter. 

“Alright!” Laura's voice broke the quiet making Scott jump. This seemed to be a recurring theme, one he hoped he'd eventually get used to. She pointed at Scott. “You. Don't go wandering. I'm going to shower and then we can have our talk.”

“But-” Derek tried to say something but Laura waved him away before disappearing into the bathroom. 

Minutes passed with only the sound of the shower and Laura's singing filling the room. Derek had shrugged off his jacket and sat on one of the beds, looking engrossed in a book he had pulled from his bag. Scott pretended to fiddle with his phone and look busy. Mostly he refreshed his email over and over. He wanted to say something, but up until now he'd never really been left alone with Derek. Laura was always there to act as a bridge between them.

He looked up from his phone but kept it in his lap, messing with it out of nerves. “So...you went to Beacon Hills High School?”

“Yeah.” Derek answered but didn't take his eyes off his book.

“Did you play any sports?”

“No.” Scott thought he was only going to get one word answers, but Derek put down the book and looked at him. “Our parents didn't want us to play sports. Said we'd have an unfair advantage and it'd be dangerous.”

“Oh.” Scott slumped his shoulders a bit. “I play lacrosse. Well, I'm on the team. But I never really play.”

“You might have to quit now. Or knowing Laura she will encourage you to play instead. She went behind our parents' backs and joined the volleyball team one year.” Derek scoffed, but Scott could hear the affection in his voice. “She popped a lot of volleyballs.”

“That's cool. I bet they won a lot of games that year.” Scott picked at the case of his phone with a nail, making the plastic pop a bit. He didn't know why he was so nervous but he was. “My best friend, Stiles, he is on the team with me. If I don't try out again he'd be pissed.” He grinned at the thought. 

Derek stared at him a bit, like he was looking for something or trying to figure out a puzzle, but Scott didn't see it. “If you try out I'm sure you'll get to play. You'd just have to be careful.”

“You think? I mean yeah, I'd totally be careful. I don't want to get caught or anything.” He tried to sound serious, but the grin was still on his face. The idea of actually getting out on the field for more than one game. He wasn't a good player, he knew that, but he still dreamed about it. 

He knew what Derek was hinting at though, what being careful meant. Before the bite Laura had told him about hunters. How they sought out werewolves to kill them, and it wouldn't matter that Scott was just a kid. It had almost been enough for him to say no – almost.

Derek closed his book and sat it aside, still fixing Scott with a look. “You don't know how strong you actually are do you?”

“Laura told me that I'd be stronger, faster, heal better. All that stuff.” Scott twisted his brow with a shrug, not sure what exactly Derek was asking. “I haven't like, tested it out or anything yet.”

“Have you shifted?”

“No.”

“Somehow I'm not surprised.” Derek rolled his eyes and Scott wasn't sure what to say next. Part of him had been itching to try out everything, an urge clawing under his skin. It had only been a week since the bite and it wasn't like he didn't have the rest of his life to do werewolf stuff. Laura wanted him to take it slow, she had said. He guessed Derek would have done it differently.

He almost asked Derek. Maybe ask if he would turn so Scott could see what it looked like. Something. Still, it felt awkward, so he didn't. He'd be patient.

Soon enough Laura came out from the bathroom, in a t-shirt and sweatpants and a towel in hand. She rolled her shoulders, looking relaxed. “Ah. I see the two of you are being social?”

“Were you listening in on us?”

She gave Derek a small grin, some kind of look Scott wasn't supposed to understand. “Maybe. Maybe not.” She gave her hair another few rubs with the towel before tossing it lazily on the dresser. “I might have heard you actually having some interest in our newest pack member. So tomorrow once we are home I'll do all the packing, and you boys can go play werewolf in the forest. Sound good Scott?”

Scott blinked, giving a belated nod. “Yeah. Sure, that's fine.”

“Perfect. It's a date then.”

“It's not a _date_. It's training.”

“Leave it to you to be so literal.” Laura gave Derek a playful shove before climbing over him, sitting cross legged on the other side of the bed. “For now it's time for my date with Scott. You can go shower or something now Derek.” Derek hesitated, frowning at her like he wasn't sure if she was serious. “Shoo!”

With a groan he grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom.

Laura patted the now empty space next to her on the bed. “C'mon. Derek seems to take pride in showering as fast as possible, and it's better if we get part of this over while he isn't around.”

Scott wasn't sure what that could mean but he got up and came to be next to her. He fidgeted for a moment, suddenly losing the ability to know how to sit. Finally he pulled off his shoes and copied her pose, giving a sheepish smile. If his bumbling bothered her she didn't show it. 

“How much do you know about what happened to my family?”

“Not much. The house burned down and...you and Derek weren't home. They never caught who did it, right?”

“No, the police didn't. But we know who did it. Who burned our home down and killed our family.” She said it with purpose. Looking Scott straight in the eye. “I know I told you about hunters Scott but I need you to understand. Fully understand. Not only for your own safety but so you understand your new pack as well.” For a moment her eyes drifted to the bathroom door. “For a long time I didn't want to be an Alpha. To have a pack. We come with a lot of baggage.”

“Whatever you have to tell me, I'll listen. I don't really get what being a pack means or all this werewolf stuff yet, but I want to learn.” Scott tried to sound determined and sure of himself. Really he felt out of his depth. Larua could smell it, his nerves and sweat and anxious tension.

She reached her hand out, taking his again like before. Her grip was stronger. “Relax Scott. I know you'll get it in time. I wouldn't have turned you if I didn't think you'd be a good werewolf. Besides, the stench of nervous energy is terrible.” Scott's eyes widened and he looked down at himself, which made her laugh. “You can smell it too, if you try.”

Scott did. He flared his nostrils and tried to focus. Suddenly a scent hit him. It wasn't like smelling something normal, a perfume or food. It was almost more like a feeling than a smell. Some area in between and he crinkled his nose. “Wow. You're right. And it's like...it makes my skin prickle?”

“That's it.” She nodded. “Being able to sense and scent is important, through that pack members can communicate their feelings without words. It will take some time for you to be able to read us as well as we can read you.”

“Cool.” He grinned, genuinely impressed by this new skill.

“Now. I'm not going to tell you this story, more like show you. It's quicker this way. It will be a bit intense but you'll come out fine. Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Laura's grip on his hand tightened even more, almost to the point of pain, and he watched as the nails on her hand grew. They turned to claws, fully formed and long, and before Scott could really study them they dug into the skin of his palm. They went deep through flesh and muscle. It only took a second but the sudden pain made Scott cry out.

“Shh, it will heal.” 

Then her hands were on his face, palms to his cheeks, and she was pulling him close to her. The room seemed to blur like he was being pulled at some impossible speed until it all went white. Visions and memories flashed in his head. 

Fire. Screams. Family long gone and blips of Laura and Derek looking far younger than they do now. It streamed past like some kind of slide-show.

Laura's voice cut through, slowly pulling him back. “You're alright. Relax. Come on back Scott.”

He realized he was almost in Laura's lap, his head still cradled by her. He jolted straight up and she let him go. “Sorry. Sorry, I don't. Sorry.”

“It's alright.”

Reaching up Scott rubbed his hand across his face, realizing there were leftover tears on his cheeks. “Sorry.” Then he noticed, looking at his hand, that it was fully healed. It was his first time seeing that.

“Cool huh?” Laura nudged his shoulder a bit. “Now. I also promised we could play twenty questions after. Ask me what's on your mind.”

xxxxx

  


The heat of sun on his face and the light in his eyes brought him out of his sleep. Slowly and with much resistance, Scott finally roused himself and cracked an eye open. He was still laying as close to the edge of the bed as he could, guessing he must not have moved much in his sleep. After talking himself to exhaustion last night Laura had laid out the sleeping arrangements. She as the Alpha got one bed, and Scott and Derek could share the other. Derek didn't seem to care at all and fell asleep quick and easy. It took Scott a little longer.

It was just another pack thing, Scott knew. He had learned a lot from Laura last night. And Derek too. They were siblings by blood but Scott was their brother now as well. They had a connection. Inside part of himself he could feel it, the werewolf instinct. The human part of him was still trying to catch up.

Sensing that Derek wasn't in bed any longer he rolled over. The room was empty aside from him. No note. He didn't worry, just checked his phone (more messages from Stiles, a few from Mom too, all he made sure to answer) and got dressed. A growl in his stomach sent him out of the room in search of a vending machine. He propped the door open, not that worried. He was pretty sure they were the only ones on this floor.

Plus he was a werewolf. If anyone broke in he could take them now.

At the end of the hall was a little room with vending machines. He jingled coins in his hand, trying to decide what junk food snack looked better.

“Scott.”

At the sound of his name Scott jumped, surprised, his coins flying from his hand and spilling onto the floor. He looked and saw Derek suddenly next to him. “Do you just not make noise?”

Derek looked unimpressed as he crossed his arms across his chest. “You should have heard me coming long before I got here. You have werewolf senses now so use them.”

“Whatever.” Scott knew he was probably right and the embarrassment burned his cheeks. He hunched down and hid his face, picking up the scattered change on the floor. “Mind helping me?” His voice was snappish, and he could sense Derek didn't like it much.

“We are going to head out. Hurry up and come back to the room, we brought food.”

Scott grumbled to himself after Derek had already left. He almost bought a snack out of some sort of strange spite, but didn't. The change could be pocketed again for later. Back in the room Laura and Derek were packing up the few items they had taken out the night before. Scott decided to follow Derek's advice, pausing a few feet from the door and trying to listen.

_“You're treating him like a baby. He's not going to learn how to be part of a pack unless you act more like an Alpha.”_

_“Like I do with you?”_

_“That's different, and you know it.”_

_“How? Derek, I remember when you were a 16 year old kid. I wasn't your Alpha but I was your big sister. Almost the same thing. Did I treat you like you were beneath me?”_

_“So what, you're going to treat him like me? Like family?”_

_“He is family now Derek. Has it been so long that you forgot what being a pack was really about?”_

Scott didn't have to try hard to listen, the pair of voices rising louder as they went on. He actually wanted to tune it out but couldn't. The feeling of disappointment and anger were like a shield around the door. He didn't want to touch it or go in. Though he couldn't exactly stay hidden in the hallway, eavesdropping.

Finally he knocked, soft, but still it swung open. Laura stood there. Her body posture was tight and there was almost a red glint to her eyes. It made Scott shrink back. She noticed, how could she not. With a deep breath she closed her eyes.

“We are going to get in the car and go home. Both of you can sit in the back. I don't care if you talk or not, or if you fight, or whatever. Scott, there is a container for you on the table. You can eat in the car.”

She moved away from the door, knowing Scott wasn't going to come in the room unless she did. She knew it wasn't right to snap at either of them. Scott hadn't done anything, and from the start she had known Derek was resistant. That he was protective, and distrusting, and it would be a time before his hackles went down. All of that she knew but still an anger swelled in her stomach. 

She had been an Alpha for years now. Ever since the fire. She had gone through her own set of flames, trying to reject it and fight it, clamp down the power that burned through her as their Uncle Peter was finally put into a hospital morgue. In the end it had to be her.

Being an Alpha and acting as an Alpha were different. All the head butting over the years between her and Derek was between siblings, not an Alpha and her Beta. This dynamic was as new to her as it was to them, and sometimes the urge to gnash her teeth and force them into place choked her. It didn't need to be like that.

So she just needed them to both be quiet for awhile. 

Her Betas did as they were told, sitting in the back seat together. It looked like some kind of punishment for both of them, but they were civil. Not that she had expected them to be otherwise. If she sped too fast down the interstate they either didn't notice or didn't care. She just wanted to be home.

xxxxx

  


The sun was still bright as the car drove down the final stretch of road leading to the new Hale house. It was a simple house, small and two stories. The important part was that it was nestled far back among the woods with the closest neighbors not so close at all. Scott thought it was a lot like the house in Beacon Hills, but he kept that to himself.

Laura parked the car and turned back to look at them with a smile. She seemed more relaxed now. “Home sweet home. For now.”

Scott followed them into the house. It was simple and sparse, but the atmosphere put him at ease somehow. Laura gestured down a hallway. “The bathroom is at the end. You can sleep on the sofa. Or you can bunk with Derek, he has a king bed.”

“Uhh....” Scott glanced at Derek, who had a poker face on. “Sofa is fine.”

“Ok. If you want you can put your bag in his room then, to keep it out of the way. Derek, show him where it is.”

Laura glanced at them and around the room, her expression peculiar, before leaving them alone. Scott followed after Derek. His room was as simple as the rest of the house. Bed, dresser, and desk. White walls and black sheets. A small frame with a picture of Laura and him didn't escape Scott's notice but besides that there wasn't much.

“You can sit your bag here,” Derek gestured, “where it's out of the way. I sleep with my door open so if you need to come in and get something, it's fine.”

“Ok, thanks.” Scott did as he was told and sat his bag down. He stalled a moment before turning back to Derek. “About what Laura said yesterday. The...training?”

“Are you interested?”

“Yeah. I at least want to see what I look like as a werewolf. We don't have to actually train or anything.”

“We are going to train. Don't worry about that.” Something in Derek's voice sounded pleased, and something in his body language too. He sniffed, looking out the window at something Scott couldn't see. “I have to talk to Laura first. You can go wait out back for me if you want.”

Scott nodded, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as he turned and went out of the room. He didn't know how much he had been anticipating this until now. It was easy to find the door to the back yard, though it was more like going out right into the forest. Besides a small deck there were only trees spanning far beyond the house.

He wondered how far the forest went. How long and how fast he could run through it now with his new body.

A minute or two passed by. He paced the deck, suddenly feeling impatient. The blood in his veins began to feel like it was boiling and he could hear the gushing thumping of his heart in his ears. It was like something was coiling tight in his body and he felt trapped. He went to go down the steps, as if being out in the open woods would somehow be better, but lost his footing.

It wasn't hard to catch himself. He glanced back at the steps. They looked overgrown, some plant having snaked its way across the bottom step. Scott let his gaze travel down the length of the deck. The flower was everywhere, twisted around the planks under the deck and the railings. 

“What....” He let his hand graze over one of the blooms. Something about it looked familiar. He couldn't think, his lungs tightening. This couldn't be an asthma attack. Those were gone now.

Stumbling, he stepped forward. He needed to get back inside. Laura and Derek would know. 

From inside the house a terrible howl erupted. It stabbed through Scott like a knife. He wanted to go toward the noise. His Alpha. He picked up on something else, someone walking? It was too hard to focus and map what his senses were telling him. 

Everything was a haze until then the sound of firecrackers erupted. One. Two. Firecrackers that cut through him and he howled out on instinct, falling forward.

“I didn't think that wolfsbane trick would be worth anything. Huh.”

Scott's brain was trying hard to keep up. There was a man behind him now, gun in hand. When did he get there? He started to come closer. 

“I was about to give up. Pack up and go, until I heard you all come back. Pity about you being so young.” 

Scott couldn't focus on the voice, his brain thinking the word _hunter_ over and over as he tried to move. Another howl exploded from in front of him and then Derek was there. His eye gleamed an ice cold blue, fangs bared. He jumped over Scott, clearing him with ease. Scott wanted to say something. To warn Derek about the gun, or the strange flowers, but all that came out of his mouth was black ooze. 

Another shot went off, but the hunter didn't have the element of surprise this time and Derek easily dodged it. He didn't try to attack, only stood his ground between the man and Scott. He snarled as the hunter raised the gun again. 

Suddenly the ground shook. In the flash of a second Laura was there, her paws ripping through the grass before her body slammed into the man like a freight train. Her fully shifted form was massive, enough to throw him several feet.

Now there were shouts and sick sounds, sounds Scott couldn't make out. All he could focus on was the arms grabbing him around the shoulders.

“Scott you have to move. _Now._ ”

Derek jerked him up and Scott tried to help carry his own weight, but he struggled. “It hurts.”

“I know. That's why I have to get you inside, and you have to help me. Stay alert. Move!”

The boom of Derek's voice was enough and Scott got his feet under him, though Derek still carried most of his weight as they stumbled into the house. They made it as far as the living room before Scott gave out again, doubling over and vomiting up more black bile. 

“Shit.” Derek glanced back. He knew that the chance of Laura letting the hunter get away was slim. She would take care of the problem. With that thought he laid Scott out on the sofa on his stomach. “I'll be back.”

There was a case in the kitchen, carefully hidden under the sink. It had been put together for times like these and thankfully left untouched, until now. Derek grabbed it and went back to Scott's side. He ripped what was left of the back of Scott's shirt open and with skill he set about removing the bullets, tending to him as he'd been taught a long time ago. Derek was thankful Scott had already passed out as he dug into the wounds.

The sounds of the struggle outside died down. Derek could hear Laura groaning and fighting herself, trying to shift back. He knew it would take some time. Her anger would keep her trapped and alert, ready to take on any more threats to her pack.

Derek didn't worry about her. Instead he worried about Scott, tearing into packs of antiseptic wipes and gauze. He could feel that Scott's heartbeat was steady and his breath was beginning to calm. Still, he couldn't help but work fast and frantic.

In time Laura was there next to him. Blood was smeared across her face and body, her claws still out and red in her eyes. Derek didn't ask and she didn't offer, kneeling beside him to lay a hand on Scott's head.

“We should have noticed. We should have _known_ something was wrong right away.”

“Everyone let their guard down. It's done.”

“And Scott shouldn't have been left so defenseless. You should have taught him how to shift the first day. He didn't even know what wolfsbane looks like.”

“ _Be quiet._ ” Laura's words vibrated with anger, almost more a growl than verbal. Derek went silent. She leaned closer, pressing her nose to Scott's hair. “Shhh. Relax. Nothing will hurt you now.” Scott was silent, but Laura could still sense the fear in him. 

“He isn't healing like he should.”

“He will. This is the first time his body has had to heal like this. It will be slow.” Laura murmured a few more words of comfort into Scott's hair before looking over to Derek. “All he needs now is rest. Put him to bed.”

Derek didn't argue. He picked Scott up and carried him down the hall to his own bedroom, Laura following close after. He laid him carefully on his back in the bed. Scott shifted with a grimace and Derek hovered close, but Scott settled, eyes still closed.

“What do you want to do about our problem?” 

“Ex-problem.” Laura let out a breath. She was fully out of her shift now though her body was still sticky with blood. There wasn't time to let the human side of her think about what she had done. “It's just a matter of putting the body out of sight and finding his car.”

Derek nodded like he'd expected that answer. “I can get the shovel from the garage.” He offered, though he didn't make any attempt to move just yet. His gaze stayed on Scott and was searching for any signs of waking.

“It's alright. I made the mess, I'll clean it up. You stay here so he doesn't wake up alone.” She placed a hand on Derek's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “What you said was true you know. I waited too long. I wanted to do things the right way, but I still got it wrong. A turned werewolf is different from us. I didn't want to push him.”

“I shouldn't have snapped.” Derek looked up at her. “Even if Scott had known....”

“Right. We were all too relaxed, didn't notice the signs that were right there. It's been a long time since a hunter was on our doorstep. I guess it's true that you can never run away from your past.”

Laura smiled, sad and tight, giving Derek's shoulder another squeeze before leaving to do what still needed to be done.

xxxxx

  


Derek sat in a chair by his bed, trying uselessly to distract himself with a book. It was late now, the sun already set. Laura had taken care of the hunter and both of them had time to clean up. There was the matter of the deck, but neither of them wanted to deal with that tonight.

From the bed Scott groaned. It took a moment of struggling before he could get his eyes open. “Where-”

“Don't try to move. It won't feel pleasant.” Derek slid from the chair to the bed, placing a hand on Scott's chest to reinforce the order.

Scott nodded, closing his eyes again. “I thought being a werewolf meant being able to heal.”

“It does. Anyone else would be dead.”

Derek instantly regretted his words but Scott laughed weakly. “Right. Though anyone else probably wouldn't have been shot in the first place.” Words turned into a cough and it took Scott a moment before his lungs relaxed. He swallowed, mouth dry. “It looks like I ended up in your bed after all. Sorry.”

“It's fine. New Beta privileges, you can sleep wherever you want.” Derek stood. “I'll go tell Laura you're awake. Maybe we can find you something to eat, or I'll at least get some water.”

Scott nodded. “Thanks.”

He wanted to tell Laura thanks too, and tell her how bad ass she looked when she shifted. He drifted off to sleep again before he had the chance.


End file.
